Minister for International Development and the Pacific

Senator the Hon Concetta Fierravanti-Wells

Pacific Humanitarian Challenge Design Sprint

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra

29 March 2016

Thank you Secretary Varghese. Can I also start by adding my acknowledgement to country. I acknowledge Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor. I also acknowledge His Excellency, Mr Yogesh Punja, Fiji High Commissioner.

It is a great pleasure to be here to open the design sprint for the Pacific Humanitarian Challenge.

Firstly, can I start by congratulating the top ten teams here. Can I also acknowledge the presence of the members of the advisory council who have been able to join us here today.

We have a great mix of innovations here. They range from drones, that help assess needs and re-establish communications, to accessible insurance.

The fact that drones and insurance appear together indicates the extent of the innovation.

Thank you for dedicating your time and experience to supporting the teams and the Challenge.

Events over the last few weeks have shown how important and timely the Challenge is.

The Foreign Minister referred to the recent events and the disasters that have occurred in Fiji, most recently, and before that Cyclone Pam that devastated Vanuatu.

We have worked with our partners in the region to support our neighbours in both these disasters.

As the Secretary said, it is very timely in our agenda of innovation that we meet here together for this Challenge and this sprint.

We have a proud history of humanitarian action in the region and assisting our Pacific neighbours, especially in the wake of natural disasters.

In a world of rapid change, we want to continually assess whether new technology and innovation can improve our capability and ensure it is fit for purpose.

There is global recognition that the humanitarian sector must innovate to bridge the gap between resources and need driven by protracted crises and increased vulnerability to natural disasters.

So we went out and sought advice from Pacific Governments through the Pacific Island Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting last year, through the Australian Civilian Corps specialists in the region, through the private sector and through our diplomatic missions in the region.

This helped us to identify areas where we can significantly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of disaster preparedness and response to provide the greatest levels of support to partner governments and affected communities.